"Guy LaRochelle" wrote in message ...
I am totally clueless when it comes to hand planes but I would like to learn
about them and to use them. There seems to be a thousand different styles.
Is there an assortment of planes that are the most needed and most widely
used to get started? If so could someone steer me in the right direction?
Regards. -Guy

As somebody who just got started into handplanes (and traditonal
woodworking in general) about 18 months ago, I can tell you what
planes I've acquired, and which I use the most.

First off, you have to decide whether you prefer to buy brand new
planes, or buy older planes and tune them up. Some of the new stuff
(specifically Lie-Nielsen and Veritas) is good stuff, while there are
other brands that aren't go great. Many woodworkers prefer older (as
in pre-1960 or so) planes, as the quality was usually pretty good and
they can be purchased for less than LN or Veritas. You'll need to
learn how to tune them up to work well though.

In all cases, you'll need to learn how to sharpen blades properly.
It's not difficult, and there are many methods for doing this. I
personally use the Scary Sharp system, as it's inexpensive and
effective.

Now, onto which planes to get. As others have stated, a block plane
is pretty much necessary for any kind of woodworking, even if you're
the biggest power tool junkie on the planet. They're useful for a
variety of trimming operations. There's both a "standard" block
plane, and a "low angle" block plane. The principle difference is
that the blade sits at a lower angle in the plane than a "standard"
block plane, which makes it better for trimming end grain. As you
learn more about handplanes, you'll find that the angle at which the
blade sits in the plane, as well as the angle you sharpen your blades
at, makes a big difference in how well the plane works on various
woods. I own a low angle block plane, made by Veritas.

The two planes I probably use the most (and would recommend you get
next) are old Stanley bench planes: a #4 smoothing plane and a #7
jointer plane. As the name suggests, a #4 is usually used for final
smoothing of flat surfaces prior to finishing. A #7 plane does a lot
of different things, including jointing the edges of boards for edge
gluing and getting the faces of boards flat. It's 22" long, and the
length is what allows it to make surfaces flat. A #4 would follow the
dips and high spots on a board, thereby not actually flatting the
board. A #7 spans the high spots, planing them flat. Both of mine
are old Stanleys, dating from the 1920s. Even if you do everything
else with power tools, a #4 will allow you to quickly put a very
smooth finish on boards, eliminating the ripples from planers and
negating the need for sanding.

I also have a Stanley #5 jack plane, and the Millers Falls equivalent
of the #3 plane. The #5 is kind of a "jack-of-all-trades" bench
plane, and is the one you want if you can only afford to buy one
plane. I'll use it to joint or flatten narrow or short boards, since
it's lighter than the #7 and won't tire me out as quickly. It can
also be used as a smoother in a pinch. The #3 is a smaller smoother
than the #4, and I honestly don't use it much. I'll use to smooth a
really small board, or pull it out when my #4 is getting a bit dull.

Other planes I own include a Veritas medium shoulder plane (for fine
trimming of tenon shoulders and cheeks, or flatting the bottoms of
rabbets/dados/grooves), a Stanley #78 rabbeting plane (for making
rabbets on the edges of boards), a #71 router plane (for smoothing the
bottoms of dados and the such), a #48 tongue-and-groove plane (for
making tongues and grooves on the edges of boards), a #79 side rabbet
plane (for widening dados and grooves), and a Stanley #45 combination
plane (for making all sorts of dados/grooves, reeding, beading, etc.).
All of these planes are really for people who prefer to do their
woodworking by hand, and as such I wouldn't recommend their purchase
unless you really take a liking to working with handplanes. They all
require a fair amount of practice to master, especially the #45.

As others have said, Garrett Hack's "The Handplane Book" is a great
reference. It should be the first book you get on the subject.